


Guess who's coming to dinner?

by ElDiablito_SF



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Academia, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward dinner party, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 14:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11277585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElDiablito_SF/pseuds/ElDiablito_SF
Summary: When Flint's favorite grad student leaves his lab with only a terminal Master's*, Thomas decides he should invite the dear lad over for some chicken and salad.





	Guess who's coming to dinner?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ellel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellel/gifts).



> For Elle's Tumblr Prompt "I have the best idea" for SilverFlintHamilton who really really need a shorter ship name omg. I apologize for the lack of porn in my work lately, but apparently I'm still exhausted from all that fuckage I had them make all year.
> 
> *A terminal Master's is a Master's degree that you get if you leave your Ph.D. program before defending your dissertation but after advancing to candidacy. Advancement to candidacy usually happens roughly 3 years into one's Ph.D. in the scientific field.

“Darling,” Thomas blazed through the door of their shared home office, arms full of grocery bags, which he hastened to drop at James’ feet. “I have the best idea. Help me carry this into the kitchen.”

James took off his reading glasses and pushed his pile of papers away. His husband’s arrival was a welcome reprieve from the awful drudgery of review writing.

“I don’t think asking me to carry groceries is exactly the _best_ idea you’ve ever had,” he pointed out, picking up the bags from the floor and following Thomas down the corridor into the kitchen.

“Don’t be daft, that’s not what I meant! Remember your grad student, the one who left with the terminal Master’s?”

“Silver?”

“You said he was not cut out for academia.”

“The kid had the attention span of a goldfish on pot.”

“Yes, him! Wouldn’t it be nice for us to have him over for dinner? You know, to make sure he’s doing well? Or do you think your responsibilities as his mentor and advisor end when he leaves your laboratory?”

“Well, technically, they _do_ end there. He’s no longer even enrolled at the University. I can’t imagine what anyone would… _Thomas_!” James glared at his better half with the dawning of understanding. “What have you done?”

“I invited him to dinner. Pass me the lettuce.”

With a sigh, James did as he was told. “What… How did you even track him down? Please don’t tell me you stalked him.”

“No need, he stalked me. Well, he stalked you, technically. I just live here.” Thomas shrugged, casually washing the vegetables.

“ _What_?”

“I walked out this morning and found him asleep in his car, parked right outside. He pretended not to know where he was, which I found charming.”

“You’ve always had a strange sense of what is charming,” James cringed, remembering their own first meeting. He had apparently charmed Thomas while being the complete opposite of a charming individual.

“He’s like a lost puppy who followed you home, even after you kicked him out. I’m simply not as heartless as you are.” 

“Oh yes, there he is - Mr. Epitome of Altruism!” James smirked. “I know there’s a lot more to this… dinner... of yours than simply the desire to feed the less fortunate.” James reeled Thomas in and placed both his hands appreciatively over his pert ass. “And besides, I wasn’t the one who kicked him out. It was his own choice to take the terminal Master’s.”

“Because you were being an arse to him,” Thomas concluded, sneaking a quick kiss in before returning to making a very colorful salad. “Probably because he was your favorite student. And don’t even bother denying it, I married your ass and I accept that you can be an utter twat to those closest to you.”

“Come on, baby!”

“He’s coming over at seven. Go put on a clean shirt,” Thomas waved James off, dismissively. “You reek of other people’s science.”

“I can think of worse things to smell like!” James shouted defiantly on his way to the bedroom.

***

It hadn’t been a lie: John Silver had been James Flint’s favorite student. Easily the best of the current bunch of disappointments. Which was why it had been extra disappointing when, having completed his major proposal and advanced to candidacy, Silver had indicated his desire to leave academia and the Flint lab for good. He had a bright, inquisitive mind, and was able to pick up and follow Flint’s reasoning faster than any of his other peons. Students. (HR had already had a talk with him about the whole “peon” thing.) (Silver hadn’t minded being called a “peon”, Flint recalled with affection.)

A huge disappointment he may have been, but it still felt incredibly good to have him over for dinner. Even if James didn’t trust his husband entirely in his motives. And even if Silver had brought the really terrible wine. He supposed that had been his own fault too, in some way, for was it not the thesis advisor’s responsibility to instill a certain sense of taste buds and decorum in his students?

“So, John, what are you doing for work these days?” Thomas asked, solicitously placing more food onto Silver’s plate.

“Working at the local Home Depot as a shift manager,” he replied.

“What the fuck?” James snapped, almost choking on his chicken. “You have a graduate degree in Molecular Biology from a top tier university! Is this what you meant when you said you’d lost your enthusiasm for science?”

“Wow, you’re being an incredibly judgemental dick for someone with tenure!” Silver snapped back. “Must be a nice view from your Ivory Tower! Well, not all of us have the luxury to dick around in a lab for eight years on a grad student stipend. Believe it or not, Home Depot actually pays me a decent living wage, unlike you!” Remembering himself, Silver quickly lowered his eyes and turned to Thomas. “I’m really sorry, Thomas. It was so kind of you to invite me to dinner. I think I should just…” He rose to go.

“Sit down!” Flint thundered.

“I can certainly see why he was your favorite,” Thomas smirked, calmly sipping the terrible wine as if it wasn’t melting his esophagus as they spoke.

“Why did you really leave?” James asked, much more quietly, digging his nails into the palms of his hands. “And don’t tell me it was the money.”

“Just… my heart wasn’t in it,” Silver spoke, averting his eyes from Flint’s, but sitting back down. “I was distracted. Had a hard time concentrating. Preoccupied with other things.”

“What _things_?” Flint pressed. “Plenty of people get distracted. The whole point of grad school is to fuck around and get distracted. You focus when you do your post-doc. You know this, we’ve talked about this. I didn’t care if you switched your project five times: you were learning!”

Silver rubbed his face with his hand, evidently struggling to answer Flint’s question. Thomas glowered at them from across the table with the look of someone about to slap them both.

“In therapy,” Thomas chimed in, “we call these moments ‘breakthroughs.’” His hand gently landed on Silver’s shoulder. “It’s all right, John. You don’t have to answer him. But it might feel good to unburden. Besides, he’s not your thesis advisor anymore.”

Silver laughed, looking from Thomas to James. “You want me to unburden? All right. It was _you_ ,” he spat out at Flint. “You were the reason I was so distracted. It got so bad, I was popping boners in the middle of our lab meetings. And, what’s worse, I wasn’t sure that you didn’t want me back. And I wasn’t going to be responsible for fucking up your marriage _or_ causing some gigantic HR nightmare. So I left.”

Silence stretched out across the dining room table, punctuated only by the ticking of a ridiculous grandfather clock that Thomas had insisted on shipping over from Mother England.

“You fucking idiot,” Flint finally said. “You didn’t have to leave the program. I could have helped you find a new thesis advisor. You would have still been on track to graduate in two to three years.”

“Also,” Thomas added with delighted alacrity, “we have an open marriage.”

“I… what?” Silver looked from one man to the other, his eyes wide and maddeningly blue. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Thomas resumed first, “that if you’d like to have a go at it with James, go right ahead. Fuck him blue!”

“And _I’m_ saying,” Flint chimed in, “that you should go the fuck back to grad school and stop it with this Home Depot nonsense.” He sighed clenching and unclenching his silverware. “And, of course, you’re also welcome to fuck my husband, if you like.”

At that, Silver choked and proceeded to have a coughing fit.

“By the way, this wine is fucking awful,” Flint grimaced. “How the hell are you even drinking this, honey?”

“Unlike you, I am polite,” Thomas replied with a wicked grin. “Our guest is possibly dying,” he pointed out, pouring Silver a glass of water. “I’m so sorry, John. It was certainly not my intention to invite you to a threesome when I asked you to dinner,” he stated, patting Silver on his back as he attempted to get his coughing under control. 

_Liar_ , James mouthed at him from across the table.

“Listen,” Silver rose from his seat again, gathering his bearings and catching his breath. “It’s fine. I brought lube.”

It was James’ turn to choke just as he was taking a very poorly timed bite of his chicken. It would not be the last time he would find himself choking that night.


End file.
